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aw-application-for-artemisj-blog · 8 years ago

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Character Animation Portfolio

All Artworks drawn by Artemis Joanna Rundager.

My name is Artemis. I am 21 years old. I believe I started drawing, when I was 3 years old. I started animating, when I was 11 years old using primitive software like MS Paint and Windows Movie Maker.

I wish to apply to the 'Character Animation' line at The Animation Workshop.

I read through all the details on each line carefully and the 'Character Animation' line was the one that struck me as where I would belong the most. In all my creative projects, while I do enjoy creating atmospheres, landscapes, and environments, my heart has always been with the characters and more importantly making them come alive. Although a lot of my previous work has been with comics and concept art, I have always been drawn to the idea of moving characters. That is also the reason why I decided not to go with ‘Graphic Storytelling’, which was also up for debate in my mind. Even when I am creating a comic, I always see the movements in my drawings rather than the still panels. With most of my longer projects I even create video versions of the comic, adding music to make the action seem more alive. I've been working mostly with comics and stand-alone pieces because those had the most success/popularity on my DeviantArt account but I always use every chance I get to squeeze in some aspect of moving parts.

Two years ago, I applied for the Animation line at the National Film School of Denmark. Weeks after applying I was one of the lucky few to be called in for an interview, where I got the chance to present myself as a person and as an artist. After the interview I was called in for the final part of admission, which consisted of 3 trials and a final interview, where I got to meet the school headmaster as well as a final-year-student of the education I was applying for. The entire process had been amazing and at the point of that interview I figured no matter what was going to happen here, I felt so blessed to have gotten this far. Unfortunately, it was also in this moment I came to realize something I wish I had discovered sooner. In this very last interview one of the teachers, who had been my 'judges' in this entire process, asked me: “What is your dream job? Where do you see yourself end up after finishing the education?”. I immediately replied without hesitation; “I want to be an animator and hopefully one day get to work overseas at one of the big companies.” To this I was met with a response that annihilated everything I had believed in so far in the process: “Well, here we don't teach you to animate, we teach you how to be a director in the field of animation”. In the moment I of course tried to play it cool and acted like I was fully aware of that but I think the teachers saw right through me at that point. After all, they had been spending a decent amount of time with me and listened to me blabbering about animation for 3 days straight, so one of them said “If you want to animate, then you have to go to Viborg”.

That is essentially the reason I am here. After the interview I did not get accepted, which I was somehow disappointed about but also relieved because I never wanted to be a film director, I want to be an animator! In all honesty, I am quite proud I got that far in the application process despite ultimately having applied for the wrong education. I am glad I applied though, it was still a really incredible experience that pushed me out of my comfort zone and challenged me in ways I could never have done on my own.

As far as my experience go, I took a traditional drawing course at Korsoer Ungdomsskole, which lasted for about 2 months. Other than that I am pretty much self-taught in everything I do. Years and years of practice and determination as well as advice from several of my followers overseas have helped me to find flaws in my work and correct them in order to improve. Being open-minded for constructive criticism has been a valuable aspect in improving my abilities.

I work mostly in Photoshop CS5 and have been doing so for about 5 years. I constantly learn new aspects of the program but I would say my current abilities are close to master-level.

I used to use a custom-made, Danish animation program called 'Animations-klubbens animations program'. It was a private program for a group on the long deceased social website 'Skum'. It was a very basic program in which you imported all your frames and was able to set centiseconds-seconds count on each frame, and then you could preview it, change the order, and add some colors. It was simple but gave me a basic understanding of how frames can have slightly different run times and some needs to be faster than others etc.

Currently, I mostly make my animations using movie-editing software. My current tool of the trade is Filmora Wondershare. A very nice editing software which I also use for other videos. It allows me to add music and some effects on my animations. My level of skill in this program is master without a doubt.

When I was studying media in high-school, I used Final Cut Pro to edit our film projects. This is a very huge program with many features. I managed to tame it somewhat and produced a few successful short-films. I have a basic understanding of some of the features. However, the program has incredibly many options, so I would consider my level of expertise to be lower intermediate.

As mentioned beforehand, my goal in life is to be able to create big-scale movies, series and perhaps even game projects. I would love to enrich the world with my creativity because I know I have a lot to give. Where I see myself post-education is hard to tell, but I definitely think I would try and make my way overseas. I don't have any necessary preferences in terms of where I will end up. While working at Dreamworks Animation Studios or likely could be an extraordinary thing, I don't feel the need to aim that high. In all honesty if I could make my life go around animating, I wouldn't care for who or where I would be, because I would be doing what I love.

Despite the fact that I love the characteristics of 2D animation, I must confess that I believe it is eventually going to die out. Japan is still going pretty strong with their Anime, so perhaps it will stay alive there. I believe 2D has a charm that 3D can't get close to depicting. With that said, 3D opens up a whole new frontier and makes film making a lot faster than it used to be just 10 years ago. I wish to work with 3D as much as 2D, so while I would hate to see 2D completely die out I am ready to embrace 3D as well. I think the demand for good animators will be on the rise since the cinematic world is constantly expanding as well as the gaming world. So I am confident that animation is going to stay as a viable part of human culture in the western world for many centuries to come.

As a child I used to watch a Japanese anime called “Ginga Nagareboshi Gin” or the translated version “Silver Fang”. I loved that show more than anything. It was about domesticated dogs, who returned to the wild to form huge packs and fight bears. It even had a sequel about the lead-dog's son which I also feel in love with. They were based on a manga series by author and artist Yoshihiro Takahashi. The books were never translated from Japanese but still I had them all. Silver Fang had 10 books & the sequel “Ginga Densetsu Weed” had 60. I would look through these books almost daily and enjoy the illustrations despite not being able to read the Japanese. Yoshihiro Takahashi is who ultimately got me into serious drawing. I used to draw the dogs all day every day. Eventually with the knowledge I had gained from drawing so many dogs, I could move on to other creatures and eventually started practising humans, background etc.

One of my favourite cinematic pieces is How to train your Dragon (2010). It will always hold a special place in my heart for its memorable characters, compelling plot line, and beautiful animation. It has a spirit and relatability that speaks to me in a unique way and ultimately it is my favourite animated work.

I have spent many hours playing The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011). While it now is an older game, it still holds up with its vast landscapes, memorable characters, and magnificent soundtrack. I still believe to this day that it is one of the best role-playing games out there, because of its wonderful open world structure that works so well with the idea of being 'Dragon-born' and having to save the world from the threat of dragons. The visuals are outstanding, the voice-acting is incredible and the many different paths you can take in the game, whether being a thief or a wizard, are truly memorable.

I feel like I will have to mention James Cameron's Avatar (2009) here as well. Not for its plot-line, which is seen many times before in both Literature and films, but rather for its unquestionably ground-breaking visuals and imaginative environment. It truly comes to show that the world of Pandora is a place that took years to develop and it paid off since it is so enticingly beautiful and original. I am especially stunned by the creature called 'Thanator', which seems so unique compared to anything we've seen before. 6 limbs, several ears with long antenna like tentacles, retractable mouth flaps, that expose pitch black teeth, as well as armoured skin down it's back. A truly memorable and beautiful creation born out of human imagination.

My least favourite works would include Trolls (2016); a movie that has some aspects of appeal in its fluffy and cuddly appearing world, but ultimately falls flat, because I feel the visuals have been squandered to meet a notion of famous voice-actors and hit songs selling the tickets. The plot is petty and the characters are hollow as they try to sing and dance to create a facade of happiness but ultimately makes it even more empty.

I also do not appreciate any continuous seasons of Pokemon (1997) since it has long lost its charm and is at this point only running to cash in on a beloved franchise. Animation is an art-form and it should be aimed at success but not at the cost of losing its soul.

Furthermore, I want to mention Trove (2015); a game similar to the highly popular Minecraft. While the game advertises as 'Free to play' it quickly throws offers at your face and encourages you to pay money to progress faster in the game. The so called 'Pay to win' is strong with this one and Trove is but one of the many games that take advantage of people, who expects a free game and plays it for long enough to be hooked and then makes several unplanned payments.

Speaking of payment, I plan on being able to fund my living conditions with SU. Since I am a Danish citizen I won't have the tuition expense. Additionally, I have a channel on Youtube with currently 37,538 subscribers. This gives me a steady income each month that will be more than enough to cover the materials. I've done careful planning and made sure that my financial situation will be stable.

1. Drama & Acting

1a. " Am I not Human?"

2a. "Lies"

3a. "Brief Existence"

4a. “Want some Tail?”

5a. “Tranquil”

6a. “Defiant”

7a. “When you leave.”

8a. “Ravenous Reptile”

2. Movement

1b. “Woodland Strut”

2b. “Lair of the Behemoth”

3b. “Cold-blooded Hunt”

4b. “Powerful Elegance”

5b. “Breaching”

6b.”Dangerous Thieving”

3. Storytelling

1c.”The Claws of War”

(Video version available HERE for better details on each panel)

4. Life Drawings

1d.” Curious Soul” (Charlie, Male, Maine Coon, 1 year.)

2d.”Old Faithful” (Riki,Male, Labrador Retriever, 8 years)

3d. “Croquis”

5. Perspective

1e.”Brace for Impact.”

2e. “Stranger in a Strange Land”

3e. “Arctic Wings”

4e. “Unburied”

6. Freestyle

1f. “Diseased Devil”

2f. “Malibu the Fox”

3f. Kurama Sage-mode (Original concept based on official character)

4f. “Roar of Devastation” (Excerpt from fan-comic based on ‘Naruto’ *READ RIGHT TO LEFT*)

5f.”Tropical Deathbeak”

6f.”Pomegranate Gryphon”

7f. “The Smiling Dog”

7. Optional

“A Day in Jared’s Pants” is a series of 4 animated short-films, written & directed by myself and my friend Iris. All animations and visuals are made by me.”

Full playlist of all episodes HERE

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